


Drarry and the Holidays

by snapeathy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-08 22:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3226526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapeathy/pseuds/snapeathy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been 3 years since the Battle at Hogwarts and Draco reunites with Ron and Harry just in time for Christmas. What will come of it? Read and find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Three years.

It had only been three years since the war ended and things seemed to have resettled themselves into the way they were before the Dark Lord's return. The school was repaired and reopened with McGonagall at the helm, the ministry was back in order, and with Kingsley Shackelbolt as the new Minister of Magic, the future looked promising despite rumors of Unspeakable activities in the Americas. Diagon Alley bustled with activity as Christmas shoppers hurried from store to store to buy their last minute gifts. The snow covered ground crunched beneath a hundred pairs of winter boots and the lighted Christmas trees glittered with a thousand different colors. Carolers sang old familiar songs with cups of bluebell fire to warm their glove covered hands and every store as far as the eye could see was trimmed with bows and holly. Everything seemed to be in high spirits with the exception of the solitary, brooding figure of Draco Malfoy as he maneuvered threw the busy crowd. Though his garb was festive with his favorite, deep holiday green, his mood was cold and gray. He glanced at the decorations with a sneer and turned away from the glimmering lights as he made his way down the main street towards Gringotts.

Harry, on the other hand, couldn't have been enjoying himself more. This was by far going to be the best Christmas on record. Spending the holidays with the Weasleys would have been good enough, but this year, even the Dursleys were being unusually considerate and sent him a very nice Christmas card. Dudley and Harry were actually getting along now and went out together for the occasional beer. They were even exchanging gifts this year when Dudley came home from University for the holiday break. But, best of all, Ron was planning on finally proposing to Hermione this Christmas Eve. It was brilliant, and despite his many protests, Harry had finally convinced Ron to let him loan him the money for the ring. After all, they both had jobs as Aurors now, and Ron would be able to pay him back in no time. They had just withdrawn the money from Harry's account at Gringotts when he got a quick jab to the ribs from Ron.

"Ow. What was that for?" But all Ron could do was frown and nod towards the front of the bank were a platinum haired Malfoy was walking up to an open teller.

"What's that git doing here?"

Harry smiled and shook his head. "You say that like you're surprised to see a Malfoy in a Bank."

Unlike Ron, Harry didn't hold as much of a grudge against Draco. He'd seen how much Draco had changed during seventh year and couldn't care less about their Hogwarts rivalry anymore. He just wanted things to be normal now; peaceful and happy.

He pulled on Ron's jacket sleeve to guide him to the door. He didn't want him starting a fight and ruining his day, and they would have made it out the door too if not for Draco's sudden outcry:

" _What do you mean my account's empty?!_ "

"We apologize for any inconvenience, Sir, but your father emptied the account this morning."

" _He can't do that!_ " And though he was whispering as best he could, his fierce words were still loud enough to capture the attention of others in the bank.

"I'm afraid he can, Mr. Malfoy, since he is the primary account holder. However, if you would like to open a personal account, we can start the paperwork now."

Draco stared at the goblin in front of him for a long time without saying anything while the teller waited patiently for a reply. Then he took a few long breaths and ran and hand through his hair to calm himself down.

"Fine."

"Very well," the goblin hopped down from his pedestal and opened a swinging side door for him, "Herald will escort you to the accountant's office."

Draco proudly swept past the goblin and, with Herald leading the way, briskly walked out of sight.

Ron grinned at Harry. "Did you hear that?"

Harry just frowned and said nothing as they went back out to the cold December air.

"We have to swing by the shop to tell George."

Harry threw a quick look at Ron. "Why?"

" _Why_? Because it's hilarious, that's why. I wish I could of heard what the teller was saying. I bet the Ministry's finally caught on that the Malfoy's are really evil and confiscated all their money. Wouldn't that be great?"

"No. It wouldn't be. What do you still have against them anyway? His mother _did_ save my life once you know."

"And we saved Draco's."

"Yeah, but—but think about all the charities Malfoy and his father have had for victims of the war. He's done a lot of good lately."

Ron stopped and gaped at him. "You can't be serious. You don't really buy that garbage do you? Their just acting nice so they don't get thrown into Azkaban."

Harry stopped and looked down at his feet.

"I can't believe you're defending him."

He kicked the snow a bit before looking back up at Ron. "Do we have to argue about this right now? Can't we just enjoy the rest of the day?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Alright, but after we get the ring, I'm going to the shop to tell George. At least he'll appreciate the humor in it." And they walked silently to the jewelry store to pick out the ring.

The argument was quickly forgotten amid the confusion of ring shopping. Ron had been smart enough to ask Ginny to browse jewelry magazines with Hermione to pick out the perfect engagement ring, but he never thought about what size she was. Ron somberly looked at the sizing bands and tried to guess which one would fit her finger best.

"I don't know about all of this. I didn't know fingers came in sizes." And the store clerk stared impatiently at the ceiling.

Harry shrugged. "Why can't you just buy a ring and adjust the size later. Shrink it or something."

The store clerk looked at Harry like he just slapped his face and insulted his mother.

" _Our_ jewels _cannot_ be altered, Sir, and if you're looking for something like that perhaps you should try buying your ring from a Knockturn Alley street peddler instead." Even Ron looked at Harry a little dumbfounded.

"Merlin, Harry, as an Auror you should know that."

"Know what?" Harry just looked confused and a little annoyed at, once again, being the muggle raised idiot who didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Ron smiled trying not to have Harry get mad at him again.

"Real gems are charmed by Ministry regulators to keep people from enlarging them."

"Why?"

"Cause they'd lose their value or something like that. I don't really remember."

The store clerk audibly scoffed and Harry threw him a dirty look.

"I don't remember going over that at the academy."

"We didn't. I only know that 'cause I thought it would be a great way to get rich when I was a kid."

Harry laughed. "You would."

"Alright, alright. So, anyway," he said, changing the subject, "I think your pinky is about the same size as 'Mione's ring finger. Which one of these fits your pinky?"

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Harry held out his hand for Ron to try the different rings on him. After the second ring or so, a hauntingly familiar voice chuckled from the doorway.

"Always knew you two were a little off. So when's the big day?" And there was Malfoy, leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed, and looking exceptionally pleased with himself.

After being told he needed a deposit, of all things, before he could open his personal account, Draco had stormed out of the bank in a worse mood than when he'd gone into it. What a day! And he was just recalling the indignity he'd had to suffer through on having his purchase denied that morning when he saw something that instantly lifted his spirits.

Ron's blood boiled as his face turned brilliantly red. "What the hell's that supposed to mean, Malfoy?"

Harry immediately took back his hand and took off the ring. "The ring's for Hermione."

Draco's smirk only broadened as a slight blush rose on Harry's cheeks.

"Sure it is, Potter. No need to explain, though. I'm happy for you both; really."

Ron could barely keep himself from lunging forward and punching the satisfied look off of Draco's smug face.

"Sod off, Malfoy. At least I _have_ the money to buy a ring."

For a moment, Draco's cocky smile disappeared, but his arrogant facade quickly returned as he stepped forward and purposefully invaded Ron's personal space.

"I'm impressed, Weasel, I didn't think you knew how to get into a bank." His smirk turned into a sneer as he looked down his nose at him and his ghastly apparel. "Was it your first time?"

It was his first time actually, but that was besides the point and Ron was just about to lose it and attack him when Harry quickly grabbed him and held him back.

"We don't want a fight, Malfoy."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" He leaned in, hoping to get a rise out of Potter if he got too close. "How … disappointing."

He leaned in so much that their noses were almost touching. Ron leaned away as much as he could, but Harry kept eye contact and held his ground; silently daring him to come closer. Draco's eyes narrowed in careful scrutiny, but it wasn't long until he realized Harry wasn't going to take the bait. He stepped back and absently checked his nails for any imperfections.

"What a pity. And here I was hoping for a more satisfactory reunion. I used to greatly enjoy our little spats, you know. Well, they gave me something to do anyway, but if you're not interested I suppose I had best be on my way." And as he turned to leave, he hesitated and looked over his shoulder at the strange couple before harrumphing at them and walking out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

"Was it just me, or did it look like he actually expected us to stop him from leaving."

Ron was still fuming when they walked out of the store. They had purchased the ring they thought was the right size and Harry reluctantly followed Ron down to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"It did kinda seem like it."

Ron shoved his hands in his pockets and stomped down the street. "He's such a bastard. I can't believe our luck. I mean really, what are the chances of him walking by the store just then?"

Harry just trudged along quietly behind his friend thinking about what Malfoy had said. He never thought about Draco enjoying their old fights before, but the more he thought about it, the more he remembered how many fights Malfoy had started between them in the old days.

"Do you think he wanted to stay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it did seem like he wanted us to stop him … and, I don't know, but there's something about what he said that's bugging me."

Ron scoffed. "Everything he says bugs me." They walked up to the Wheezes' front door and Ron held the door open for his friend to follow through, but Harry stopped before going in. "You not coming?"

"Nah, I think I'll head home and get something hot to drink."

"Alright, see you later then."

"Yeah."

Ron went in and the door swung shut behind him cutting of the warm breeze from inside the shop and leaving Harry out alone in the cold.

Harry went home to the little two-man flat he and Ron had shared since they started their academy training and looked around at the pictures on the walls of the main room feeling suddenly very sentimental. He stopped in front of a large photograph near the window where the Weasleys smiled down and waved at him. Even Fred was there; good old Fred, grinning impishly at him without a care in the world with his arm around his brother George. It was strange seeing him and thinking about how young he was now that Harry was older than him, and the fact that he could ever be older than Fred was an indescribably depressing feeling. Harry would even get to be older than Sirius and Lupin one day if he lived long enough. As a matter of fact, next year Harry would be the same age as his own father, and that thought alone made him realize he needed a drink.

He opened the icebox and got out a brew, plopped down in his comfy chair, pushed it into the reclining position and thought about his Hogwarts days. Malfoy's unexpected reappearance made him remember the old gang and how things were before half of them died. Harry drank his liquor, and was asleep in his chair, curled up with the empty bottle, by the time Ron came home.

~0~

Malfoy apparated into the foyer of his childhood home and hollered for one of his old servants who promptly appeared beside him and showed him were his father was. The head of the Malfoy Estate was sitting at his desk sorting through his Christmas party preparations when his son was announced at the door. A second later, Draco made his entrance.

"Why is my account empty?"

Lucius didn't even turn around. "It is empty because I emptied it."

"I know that, but why did you empty it?!"

"Don't shout, Draco. It's unbecoming of a gentleman."

" _Please_ don't lecture me, father." He pinched the bridge of his nose and paused for a moment to compose himself. "Why did you empty my account?"

"I emptied your account because I have asked you to come home so that I could have a talk with you three times now, and you have failed to do so. However, I knew you would come if I took away your money, and so you have."

Draco leaned against the door frame, plunged his hands into his cloak pockets and sighed heavily.

"Why should I hurry home just to have you scold me and tell me what a worthless good for nothing I've turned out to be?"

"Oh don't be so melodramatic. I only wanted to know if you had decided on which path you were going to take yet. You only have a few more days until New Years, you know, and you should be enrolled in a University or employed by now."

"New Years? But mother told me I had until my next birthday."

"What?!" Lucius slammed down his quill and stalked out of the room with Draco following merrily behind him. "Tipsy! Where's my wife?"

"Don't shout, father, it's unbecoming of a gentleman."

Lucius whirled around and pointed a warning finger and his son. "Don't. Your mother may insist on doting on you, but this is your last extension." He turned away and continued down the hall. "Now where is my wife?"

Draco stayed behind and begrudgingly contemplated his sad future in which he could potentially be cut off from any and all family funding. He slowly doubled back to his father's den, feeling rather sorry for himself, and absentmindedly flipped through his father's papers while he waited to be summoned back into the argument. After the fourth or fifth paper, the invitation list caught his eye, and he smiled; amused at his own genius. Quickly, he picked up the quill and scribbled down a few extra names before covering it up with the other papers and leaving the room.

It was then that Tipsy suddenly appeared in front of him and bowed anxiously at his feet. "Excuse me, Sir, but your parents-"

Draco waved his hand and silenced her. "I know, I know. Just show me where they are."

~0~

Later that evening as Harry and Ron were sitting down to dinner at the Burrow with the family, a pair of elegantly folded paper doves flew out of the living room fire and landed in front of Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley. After they ruffled their wings and proudly showed off their expensive paper plumage, they presented their recipient with a polite little bow, and unfolded to reveal two beautifully written gold-scrawled invitations. Harry and Author curiously read the inscriptions before exchanging surprised and bewildered looks.

Molly leaned over and started reading the invitation over her husband's arm. "What's it say, dear?"

"You won't believe this, but it appears that we've all been invited to the Malfoy Family Christmas Party."


	3. Chapter 3

Ron popped the question on Christmas Eve, much to Hermione's surprise and delight, and Hermione answered with an emphatic 'yes', much to Ron's delight. Harry, however, unlike everyone else, was surprisingly un-delighted by all of this. Although he didn't know just why, he suddenly hated the idea of his two best friends getting married. His stomach churned with every loving glance, he scowled at their hand-holding, and he openly brooded while they discussed their wedding plans. He thought he would have been happy for them, he should have been happy for them, but the very thought of them getting married and eventually having children just made him angry.

That afternoon, he took a good long walk around the farm to clear his head and get away from the commotion of a house full of Weasleys, but all he could think about was what Malfoy had said to them that day in the ring shop.

' _Always knew you two were a little off. No need to explain, though. I'm happy for you both; really.'_

He could still see his smug little face sneering down at him. It bugged him. It bugged him almost as much as watching Ron fawn over his new fiancé bugged him. Maybe Harry just needed to get out and start dating again. He hadn't gone out with anyone since Ginny broke it off with him last summer, but things were just too busy to think about going out with girls. Besides, it's not like he wasn't socially active, he was just always out with Ron. Now that Ron was engaged they wouldn't be able to go out as much, just the two of them, and that's what bugged Harry most of all.

~0~

December 26th was the day of the Malfoy Family Christmas Party. Many considered it the highlight of the Christmas season and all of the big wigs would be there. Even the Minister of Magic would be in attendance with his special guest, the English Prime Minister. It was Kingsley's idea that, as the leader of muggle England, the Prime Minister should know more about the wizarding side of things. It was a dangerous and daring move on his part, but one that he deemed necessary for future positive dealings between the two governments. Lucius wasn't so sure about having a muggle in his house, but if it kept him in Shacklebolt's good graces, then so be it.

Christmas had been a nice, quiet family affair at the Manor, but the morning of the 26th was impossibly hectic. Servants ran about in a panic making sure the decorations were up, the gifts were wrapped, and the food was prepared. By the time the clock struck 6 o'clock in the evening, the doors were opened, the lights were lit, and the orchestra began their warm up. Although the party didn't officially start until 7:00, it was traditionally acceptable for guests to begin drifting in an hour early. Usually, the press was the first to arrive, but those in the upper crust always knew arriving fashionably late was the way to do things, and they usually didn't start arriving until 7:30.

Normally, Draco wouldn't o have shown up until 9:00 or so, but this year he appeared unusually early, and anxious to see if his last minute guests would come. He surprised his mother with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello Mother."

"Why, Draco, you're early."

"Nonsense, I'm perfectly on time." He stood back and held her hands. "You look lovely tonight. However did father manage to marry such a beautiful woman?"

Narcissa smiled and kissed her son on the cheek. "That's very sweet of you, but you're not getting another extension."

"Mother, how could you think such a thing? Can't a son complement his mother without wanting something?"

To this she simply smiled and escorted her son to the Gala Room. In the center, an enormous Christmas tree glowed with a golden light. Beneath it lay more than a hundred glimmering Christmas presents, each wrapped in golden paper, one for every guest. The gifts weren't labeled, so each guest could choose whichever gift he wished. The tree was charmed, of course, so no one could take more than his fair share and no gift could be returned and traded for another. The Malfoy's gifts were famous, not only for their extravagance, but for their humor. One gift could be a diamond necklace, and another an old shoe. One never knew what he was going to get.

Draco carefully surveyed the spread, and selected a small box from one of the tree's lower branches. He untied the bow and pulled up the top of the box to reveal a simple silver band inside. His mother laughed.

"You always manage to pick such good things."

He looked at her and back to the plain looking ring. "But, what is it?"

"It's a fibber's ring."

That made Draco smile. "Really?" and he put it proudly on his ring finger where it sized itself accordingly. "Very clever. Now, would it be possible for me to interest you in a dance?" He dropped the box and ribbon on the ground where is disappeared in a flash of golden light, and he held out an arm to his mother.

"Of course." She slipped her hand through his arm and let him lead her to the Ball Room where the orchestra was playing a waltz. They danced around the floor a few rounds, but were interrupted when someone lightly tapped Draco on the shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Draco turned to see his father standing by, waiting to dance with his wife. He sighed with feigned agitation, but politely stepped aside. "You couldn't possibly have waited until the next song?"

As his parents were just about to waltz away, a voice sounded overhead announcing that the Weasley family had arrived.

Lucius stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

Draco did his best to appear surprised. "Did you invite the Weasleys?"

"Of course not, why would I?"

Then Harry Potter was announced with the Minister of Magic and the Prime Minister of England and the crowd was suddenly buzzing with excitement.

Draco no longer found himself amused. "What? How did he manage to come with the Ministers?"

The crowd in the Ball Room made their way to see the new guests arrive. Molly and Arthur were being shown to the tree with Ron and Hermione. George followed behind them in a horrifically gaudy suite, and just behind him, sure enough, was Potter and the two most powerful men in England.

Draco was furious. "That little showoff. I should have known better than to invite an attention whore like him."

" _You_ invited him? Are you responsible for the Weasleys too?" Lucius was absolutely livid. Narcissa, on the other hand was still subtlety gawking at George's suite.

"What _is_ he wearing?"

"I'm sorry, father, I was angry and I thought it would be amusing."

All he got in response was a dark look and the feeling that they would be discussing this later. Lucius made his way through the crowd and, smiling jovially, greeted his guests of honor. He managed to pass by the Weasleys with out so much as looking at them, and even welcomed Potter with a warm handshake. He escorted them to the tree where the three of them picked out their gifts. The Prime Minister got a dicta-quill which would have to be explained to him later, the Minister picked out lovely piece of string, and Potter ended up with a very good bottle of Parisian Rum. Their gifts were collected by an elf, whom gave the Prime Minister a bit of a scare, and were taken to the holding room where they would stay until their owners were ready to collect them before heading home.

Lucius then showed the Ministers to the Ball Room where Narcissa was gracious enough to dance with the both of them. Everyone was having a lovely time, even the Weasleys. Arthur danced with his wife, Ron danced with his fiancé, and George harassed the upper class girls for dances, all of whom turned him down. In turn, all the girls harassed Harry for dances, but after his fifth waltz, his feet were getting fairly tired and he retreated to the upper floor where one could watch the festivities in peace. He spotted Draco Malfoy standing alone holding a glass of champagne and watching the dancers below him. Harry wondered over and leaned on the railing nearby.

"What's the matter, Potter? Tired of having all the girls fawn over you?"

"I am actually."

"Really?" He looked over at him, but Harry was busy looking out at the crowd. It wasn't difficult to trace his gaze to Ron and Hermione on the dance floor. "I would have thought you would enjoy the attention, what with your showy entrance and all."

"Kingsley's my friend. I just wanted to say hello. I didn't mean to attract all that attention."

"Hm." Draco knew he was telling the truth, but that revelation only seemed to further annoy him. They both looked out over the crowd once more, quietly drinking, until eventually Draco spoke up again.

"So, has Ronald popped the question yet?"

"Yeah, but I turned him down."

Malfoy had to chuckle at that one. "So they're official then?"

Harry spotted them in the crowd again, taking a break from dancing and talking to Ron's parents. "I guess so."

Draco raised an eyebrow as Harry had sounded none to happy about the idea. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Why would it be?"

But Malfoy knew better. The instant Harry denied it, Draco's ring gave out its warning with a slight tremor on his finger. Slowly, he turned to face Harry in order to read his body language better. "I don't know, you're not jealous are you?"

Harry shot him a deadly glare. "Of course not. I'm in no hurry to get married."

"But you are jealous. Don't tell me you fancy Granger."

"What? No. We're just friends."

"Then," and he suddenly realized, "the weasel?"

"For Merlin's sake, no."

Draco's ring jostled violently against his glass and the sound startled him into dropping it. This wouldn't have been such a horrible thing if he hadn't been holding it over the ledge. Under them the glass shattered at the feet of the Prime Minister. Instinctively, Draco leapt back before he was seen leaving Harry leaning over the ledge to see where the glass fell. Harry jumped backwards all too late and bumped into a passerby, spilling a bit of champagne on his shirt.

"Damn it." Almost instantly, a servant appeared and started cleaning Harry off which was really more of an annoyance than any help. "No, please I'm fine."

The servant politely bowed and left while Harry tried to clean himself off with his handkerchief and Draco stood there trying not to laugh.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Yes, you bloody git, the Prime Minister saw me. Your stupid glass almost hit him."

"Really? Oh, that's wonderful."

"No it isn't. He's going to think I did it!"

Draco couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Harry, calm down. People are beginning to look." And sure enough, almost the entire balcony was looking their way. "Come on, I'll take you to get your shirt cleaned properly.

Hesitantly, Harry followed Draco to another room away from the hoard of prying eyes.

"Take off your shirt. I'll have my servant clean it for you."

"What? No." And he protectively pulled his cloak tighter around his chest.

"Oh come now, Darling will be able to do it in a jiff."

"Darling?"

"I prefer to call him Darling. His real name was horrible and I couldn't stand the thought of it ever coming out of my mouth. Darling!" A tiny little house elf appeared before them, bowing slightly. "Yes, take his shirt and clean it."

"Yes, Sir."

Harry was hesitant, but he allowed Darling to take his vest and his shirt and disappear. Meanwhile, Draco poured him a glass of wine. "It won't take him long. Here."

Harry reached out and took the glass and felt horrifically naked without a shirt. He tried to act nonchalant, but the pureblood's gaze made him overwhelmingly self-conscious which resulted in him posing instead of just standing naturally.

Once Draco finished pouring himself a glass, he turned to find a well toned, shirtless Harry Potter standing in what he could only call a come-hither stance. Suddenly, he remembered what had made him drop his glass in the first place. Harry Potter fancied Ron Weasley. In other words, Harry Potter, the famous golden boy … was gay. Could he be posing like that on purpose? And as Draco pondered all of this, he thoughtfully stared at Harry's bare chest.

Of course Harry noticed this and became even more aware that he was half-nude in a private room with Draco Malfoy. He swallowed his mouthful of wine and nervously cleared his throat. "So, you fix that problem with your account?"

"Hm? Oh, yes." Draco raised his glass and managed a week smile before taking a sip. A moment later, Darling appeared and presented Harry with his freshly cleaned and neatly folded clothes. "Ah there we are. I told you it wouldn't take him long." Harry took his things and quickly began to dress. "Thank you, Darling, that will be all."

"Yes sir." And he disappeared again.

Harry examined Malfoy suspiciously while he buttoned up his shirt. "You didn't plan all this somehow, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I suppose I just don't trust you."

Draco smirked. "Perhaps you shouldn't. You know, in a suit, you're not bad looking."

The only response Harry could muster to this was a befuddled expression.

Draco held up his hand showing his newest possession. "Do you know what this is?"

Harry leaned in and looked at it. "No."

"It's a fibber's ring. It lets the wearer know if he's being lied to, and you lied to me."

All Harry could do was fasten his vest and mumble a weak "What are you talking about?"

Draco stepped in closer, his uplifted hand almost touching Harry's chest. "You fancy Ron, don't you?"

Harry's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst, though he wasn't sure if it was because Draco was standing so close to him, or because of what he just said. He didn't fancy Ron … Did he? But slowly, very slowly, Harry realized that he did. He'd always fancied Ron. From the first time they met on the train to Hogwarts in their first year, he'd fancied Ron. He'd thought he was cute, and he liked his peculiarities and his shyness. That's why he couldn't stand the thought of losing him to Hermione. It all made sense now. He was jealous, but he couldn't tell Malfoy that. What could he say that wouldn't give him away? He couldn't say yes, and he couldn't say no; either way Draco would know that he fancied Ronald Weasley. All Harry could do was walk away, and that's exactly what he did. Or at least that's what he tried to do, but Malfoy followed on his heels.

He walked straight to the entrance hall without looking back knowing full well that Malfoy was right behind him. He was brought his cloak, which he put on, and brought his bottle of rum, but before he could flee through the double doors leading outside, Draco gently grabbed his arm.

"Wait. Take this." He held out what looked like a business card. "I'll be in the white costume holding a red apple."

Harry didn't understand what he was doing, but he took the card. There was just something about how Draco was looking at him. It wasn't snide or judgmental, but sincere and almost … hopeful. Then Ron called to Harry from nearby, and Draco turned and walked away just before the Weasleys joined Harry at the door.

"You weren't gonna leave without us were you?" Ron smiled at him. "What did the ferret want?"

Harry put his hand, and subsequently the card, in his pocket. "Nothing, we were just talking." They all gathered their cloaks and had their gifts brought to them. "So what did you guys get?"

But Molly interrupted Ron who was about to answer saying they should talk back at home and not block the door, so they exited and apparated back to the Burrow. Turns out, Ron had gotten a season pass for the Chudley Cannons, Hermione got some fancy chocolates, George got something from his own shop, Molly got a cube of fruitcake, and Arthur got a lump of coal.

~0~

That night, back at their flat, Harry and Ron had a long and very awkward, conversation. Harry told him about his feelings for him, but also that him and Hermione were really perfect for each other and that he was genuinely happy for them. Ron, though a bit weirded out at first, decided that he didn't mind about Harry being gay and was surprisingly really great about the whole thing. They talked until they were both too tired from staying up so late and went to bed with a lot to think about, but just before turning off the light, Harry got back out of bed, reached into his cloak pocket, and pulled out the card that Malfoy had given him.


	4. Chapter 4

New Years Eve was going to be a cold, snowy evening, like any other cold, snowy evening, but this year Harry would be hunting down a man in a white masquerade costume holding a simple red apple. Harry sat in his room on his bed examining the card Malfoy had given him, for the fiftieth time. 'The Poisoned Apple' was written on the front in large golden letters, and on the back it read:

Garnett and Gold Masquerade Ball  
New Years Eve

Come and Take a Bite

The week between Christmas and New Years was almost over and Harry still hadn't decided if he was going to go or not. He hadn't told Ron about it since he already knew he wouldn't approve of him going on some kind of weird date with Malfoy, and talking to Hermione about it was also out of the question. So he was stuck, tossing the pro's and con's back and forth in his head and wondering what exactly Malfoy was up to.

~0~

December 30, 2001 was a full moon, so the entire Auror's Department was on full alert in case there were any attacks. Harry was out until 3 am on New Years Eve morning, and the thought of staying at home in bed was an appealing one. Both he and Ron slept late into the afternoon and had lunch together. Originally, their plans were to go to the Burrow to bring in the New Year with family, but Harry was still undecided on were he really wanted to go. So, he told Ron that he was starting to feel under the weather, blaming the late night spent out in the snow, and said that, if he got to feeling up to it, he'd pop over before midnight.

After Ron had left, Harry opened his wardrobe and stared at the costume he bought just in case he decided to go. Then he wondered off, came back, got a snack, came back and laid the costume out on the bed, left again and sat in his chair for a few minutes, then came back and started to change only to wander off again. Back and forth, and back and forth again for almost a full hour until, finally, he put the mask over his face, and walked over to the fireplace. With a fist full of flue powder, he decided that he would go, satisfy his curiosity, and leave in time to bring in 2002 with the Weasleys. That was the plan, and with that decision finally made, he stepped into the abnormally tall brick laid hearth.

"The Poisoned Apple!" He tossed the powder at his feet and the world zoomed past him at a frantic pace. As he passed by them, he could see hundreds of living rooms full of people gathered together getting ready for the countdown. Then, as he left the suburbs and moved on into the city, he saw flashes of bustling pubs and roaring parties before ending up in a dark room, echoing with beautiful music.

He stepped out into the entrance way and into a sea of red and gold costumes. Harry hadn't realized that the card meant he was supposed to wear Garnett and Gold ... who took things that literally? Besides, Malfoy had said he would be wearing white, but by the look of everyone else here, he and Malfoy would be the only ones not in uniform. So, dressed in solid black from head to toe, Harry made his way through the glimmering crowd like a shadow, looking for a solitary figure in white. And to think, Harry had been worried that finding one guy in a white costume was going to be difficult.

The Ball Room was where most of the people seemed to be gathered, and Harry moved around the carousel of dancers with a careful eye. He was so absorbed in his task of finding Malfoy, that it took him a full five minutes before he realized there were no women at this party. Suddenly it hit his like a bag of bricks to the head. This was a gay masquerade party, and Malfoy had invited him. Malfoy knew Harry was gay, but did he know that before the Christmas party? No, from what he had said, it sounded like it had been a new discovery for him. So then Malfoy had the card on him before he knew about Harry being gay, so he couldn't have brought it specifically for him. And Malfoy had already picked out a costume … this was something he had planned on coming to, Potter or no Potter, and that could only mean one thing:

Draco Malfoy was gay.

That explained why Harry's social preferences hadn't been pasted on the front page of the Daily Prophet last week. Malfoy wasn't about to expose Harry when he shared his secret. But Harry's most important deduction was that tonight wasn't just about an innocent party invitation anymore … this was a real date, and it was a date with Draco Malfoy. Suddenly, Harry's stomach flooded with butterflies, his courage failed him and his curiosity died. He had to get out of there.

He turned abruptly and started retracing his steps, when a flash of white caught a ray of flickering light from the candelabras and hanging chandeliers. He stopped, and looked, and there in the crowed, staring right at him, was Draco Malfoy. Dressed head to foot in purest white, he made his way across the floor straight for him. Harry watched him approach in the dim light and found himself unable to run for it and escape. When Draco reached him, he smiled, and rolled the blood red apple in his hand.

"Evening."

Harry nervously swallowed. "Evening."

"And where were you off to in such a sudden hurry?"

Harry couldn't keep himself from blushing and he thanked Merlin for the lights being as low as they were. "Mal –"

" _Don't_." Draco surged forward, eyes wide with panic, and put up his other hand to stop him. "Don't say my name." he whispered. "Our masks serve a purpose here beyond simple décor." His eyes shifted suspiciously as he looked around to see if anyone had heard him, and only when he was certain that no one had, he removed his fingertips from Harry's lips. Draco was afraid. Even here where they all shared the same secret, he feared being discovered. Harry must have been one of few, if not the only one, to know this about his secret. He never expected that kind of trust to come from someone he had regarded as an enemy for so long.

"Sorry."

"It's alright, you didn't know. But … you know now."

And by the way Draco emphasized that last bit of dialogue, Harry knew what he really meant.

"And you won't tell anyone about it, will you. Your secret is my secret after all, and sharing it wouldn't do either of us any good."

Harry glared venomously through his mask. "You don't need to threaten me. I wouldn't out anyone like that."

For a moment, Draco looked down before meeting Harry's eyes again. "I know, and I apologize. It's just that, you're the first person to know about … me, and I guess I'm a little -" But before he finished, Draco realized that he was showing more to Harry than he'd intended, so he hastily recovered his air of confidence and smiled. "Would you like to dance?"

"Dance?" Was he serious?

"Yes. It _is_ what people _usually_ do at a ball," he casually took Harry's arm, "and as a treat, I'll even let you lead." And he led him to the edge of the waltz. "You remember how to lead, don't you?"

"Yeah, but -"

"Don't argue, just dance." He moved Harry's arms into place and started to move to the rhythm of the music and ease their way into the flow of people.

Harry followed, not wanting to bump into anyone trying to enjoy themselves on the dance floor, but he didn't like being dragged around like that. "I thought you said I could lead."

"So lead." And he did, and Draco followed him effortlessly across the floor. Dancing with Malfoy wasn't actually that bad once Harry got used to it, and after a short while, he even started to enjoy it. But after a few dances, Harry was getting tired and suggested that they break for something to drink. They made their way to the wall where the red whine and golden champagne was being served with Draco still holding on to Harry's arm with one hand, and the apple still held tight with the other. As the night went on, they had a few more drinks than perhaps they should have had, but it settled their nerves and filled them with the confidence they felt they needed. While they drank, they talked about life and what they had been doing since the war. Draco congratulated Harry on becoming an Auror, and Harry teased Draco good-naturedly about being expected to do something other than sit around and get pampered all day.

Eventually, Draco suggested they move out to one of the balconies for some fresh air. Outside, the city covered in snow shone beautifully beneath them and they gazed out at it, saying nothing, and silently stood together and simply enjoyed the other's company. Harry's eyes and thoughts drifted lazily to Draco, and eventually to the crimson apple he'd mentioned at the Christmas party which he'd been holding faithfully all evening.

"So, what's with the apple anyway? I noticed a few other people holding them too."

Draco looked away from the city lights and smiled at him softly. "It's a game we play here at the Poisoned Apple. If someone brings an apple to share, it means their looking for someone to spend the night with."

Harry, who had just taken another sip of wine, almost did a spit take, but miraculously managed to swallow.

"It's an apple laced with temptation. I've never brought one before." Draco looked down at it and ran his finger across the apple's skin before slowly raising it between them. "And, though I didn't know who would end up sharing it with me tonight, I think I know who I would like it to be."

The world around them grew dark and silent as the weight of Draco's words permeated every inch of Harry's consciousness, and as Draco raised the apple just a little more for Harry to take a bite, Harry thought of all those years of frustrated nights he'd spent alone in his bed. He may not have realized he fancied Ron all those years ago, but he had always known he fancied men. Even when he went after Ginny and Cho, he knew in the end they were just a means to the end of appearing normal, but they could never have satisfied him. Not in the way Draco was offering to do right now. He'd never have admitted it before, but he'd always thought Draco was a good looking boy in their school days, and now, he stood before him as a man, a deadly attractive man, on a darkened balcony, offering him his greatest possession.

Slowly, cautiously, carefully, they both leaned in to take a bite. The taste of the apple was bitter sweet, and as their teeth sunk in, piercing the apple's delicate skin, their eyes never left each other, knowing full well what they were agreeing to and that only a few inches of ripened fruit was all that separated them. Harry chewed his portion anxiously and wondered if he would be able to eat another apple again without remembering tonight.

They both looked at the floor as they swallowed, and slowly moved closer together.

Draco lifted his arms and gently laid them across Harry's shoulders. "Have you ever kissed a man before?"

"No."

"Neither have I."

Softly, Harry slipped his hands around Draco's waist, and when their lips finally met, all thoughts of future regret flew far away from him and disappeared forgotten into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Rays of daylight slipped inside through the partially opened curtains of Harry's bedroom window, highlighting an army of dust particles as they danced about the room. On the white walls, quidditch posters were hung at odd angles along with Harry's Hogwarts diploma, and his certificate for graduating the Aurors academy. The mud-colored, carpet-covered floor was a menagerie of discarded clothes and crumpled papers, and sprawled out on the bed, two young men still slept comfortably amid a mass of warm blankets.

All you could see of the platinum youth was his right leg from the calf down, a hand, and a tuff of almost white hair. Harry, on the other hand, was mostly uncovered having lost the unconscious battle for blanket supremacy during the night. He curled up in a tight ball and sleepily stretched out his hand to find some warmth. When he found a human arm instead of a proper covering, he woke up a bit more and opened his eyes curiously. Ah yes, now he remembered, and he propped himself on his elbow and looked over the lump that was supposedly his very first lover. There was the bruise, no, hickey on the inside of Draco's knee. Yup, that was Harry's. He laid back again, hands comfortably behind his head, and he remembered all the wonderful little intricacies of the night before.

Yes, he was a man now. A real man and he couldn't have felt more proud. He sat up after a moment of thought and ran his hand through his hair which was even messier than usual. He had a slight headache from having so much to drink, but luckily, being a pair of bachelors, he and Ron had a stash of potion cures for hangovers. He carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Draco, pulled on some Union Jack boxer shorts, and walked out of the room. In the kitchen, he made some coffee, turned on the stove, and downed a bottle of sobriety. Now that his head felt loads better and he was a little more awake, he sat down at the little kitchen table and peacefully sipped at his cup of Joe.

Then it hit him.

He was at home.  
Draco was naked in his bedroom. No, in his bed.  
Ron was his roommate.  
Oh Merlin, was Ron home last night when they were …

And, as if powered by a sudden jolt of lightning, Harry was off in a flash. His cup dragged for a moment along the surface of the table before toppling onto the linoleum floor and shattered, sending hot brown liquid everywhere. But, Harry was unfazed. He raced to Ron's room and threw open the door. No one was there, so he probably stayed the night at the Burrow. Harry sighed with relief and closed Ron's door thankfully before he made his way back to his own bedroom. Draco, who had been woken by the breaking cup and the thudding down the hall, smiled almost shyly at Harry as he entered the room.

"Good Morning."

Harry's smile was more awkward. "Morning." He ran a hand through his hair. "Um … I just remembered that I have a roommate and they could be back any minute … so …"

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am not something to be ashamed of. You should be proud to have been deemed worthy to be my first, and if you _dare_ have the gall to kick me out of this bed before I'm damn good and ready, you have another thing coming." Then he smiled pleasantly before adjusting himself on the bed and smoothing out the covers on his lap. "Now then, breakfast in bed would be lovely."

"But -" But Draco's razor sharp glare was enough to stop him from finishing that sentence. And Harry had thought the Dark Lord was scary. "Alright. I was making something anyway, but after that you have to go. If Ron finds out about this, " he rubbed his face in anguish, "he'd never talk to me again."

"Good lord, you live with him? Way to punish yourself, Harry."

"Yeah, yeah." Harry left the room, locked the front door, just in case, and tossed some eggs and bacon onto the hot pan. He toasted some bread, put the bacon and eggs on top, poured them some OJ and brought Draco his breakfast.

"Thank you." Over all, Draco seemed pleased with the meal and ate heartily.

Harry retrieved his own breakfast, cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, mended his cup, poured himself some more coffee, and joined Draco in the bedroom. He didn't really mind him being there, but the knot in his stomach got tighter and tighter the later it got. Ron was sure to come home soon, ready to yell at him for not showing up at the Burrow the night before. Remarkably though, they both managed to finish breakfast and Ron still hadn't shown up. They chatted nicely through Harry's nervousness, and Draco pulled on his pants.

"I don't know why you're so worried about it. If he knows, he knows. You two have been best mates forever, and I severely doubt sleeping with me will put an end to your friendship."

"I guess so."

Draco picked up his shoes and the remainder of his clothes and went out into the main room.

"You going to walk home like that?"

"Of course not. Really. I plan on apparating home, but I prefer to have some space when I travel. And, though I wasn't going to mention it before, your room is in the most deplorable state. How _ever_ do you –" But suddenly, the doorknob on the front door jostled, and, without thinking, Harry swung open the closet door and shoved Draco inside. Ron walked in and nodded hello as Harry shut the closet door again. "Morning."

"Morning. You feeling better? We thought you might have really caught something since you never showed last night."

"Yeah well, I went to bed early and slept in so I feel ok now. What about you? What made you stay over at the Burrow?"

"George insisted that we stay up extra late for some games and I guess I fell asleep on the couch. Hey, I'm gonna go take a shower. Can you put some coffee on?"

"Sure thing." Ron lazily wondered off into the bathroom. Once the bathroom door closed, Harry opened the closet to find Draco glaring up at him from the bottom of it amid a assortment of junk.

Once he righted himself and had made sure nothing was sticking to him, he pointed a finger at Harry and whispered in the most menacing way he could manage. "How _dare_ you. I should march in there and tell him exactly what happened last night for that."

All Harry could do was grab Draco's hand and drag him along to the kitchen with him. If Ron came back out for any reason, he wanted Draco out of his line of sight. "Apparate home."

Draco looked around in disgust. "In the kitchen?"

Then, sure enough, the bathroom door reopened and Ron called out to his roommate. "Hey Harry, can I use your shampoo? Mine's all out."

Now, it's commonly known that strange things tend to happen around wizards in great duress, and perhaps it was Harry's state of panic, or Draco's need for more space, but whatever it was, something in the air threw the kitchen window wide open and the shutters made a horrible bang as they hit the outer wall. Harry could hear Ron walking towards them now thanks to the sudden concerning noise.

"Harry?"

Obviously, there was nothing else for Harry to do, except for what he did, and what he did was shove Draco Malfoy out the open window from his fourth floor flat.

Draco let out a scream as Ron ran into the room. "What the hell is going on?" Both of them looked out of the window. Below them, a few articles of clothing were still settling lazily over the snow, but no one was there.

Ron glanced at Harry suspiciously. "Did you just toss someone out the window?"

Harry tried to look innocent, but was eventually forced to look down in shame. "Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

"I didn't want you to find out … someone was here with me. That's why I didn't show last night … I was … preoccupied."

Ron instinctively covered his ears and walked back towards the bathroom. "Arh! I don't wanna know. And I'm using your shampoo."

~0~

Meanwhile, at the Malfoy's, Narcissa and Lucius were enjoying a late breakfast when all at once their half naked son apparated into the room landing roughly on the floor holding his shoes in one hand and a sparkling white vest in the other. He sat up and rubbed his head. "That little-"

"Come to have breakfast with the family, son?" Lucius smiled to himself. By Draco's state of attire it was obvious to him that the boy had gone to a party the night before, went home with some lucky girl, and had to leave in a hurry. Most probably because of some boyfriend, or perhaps, even a husband had discovered them. What a rogue! And to think he had ever doubted his own son.

Narcissa came to about the same conclusion and she shook her head disapprovingly.

Draco stood. "Of course. Why shouldn't I share my first meal of the year with my family?" He, of course, had already had his first meal, but that was beside the point. He sat down gingerly and waited for his food to be brought to him.

Lucius chuckled. "Rough landing?"

His son smiled innocently at him knowing that he must have noticed his careful sitting. "Yes. I'm afraid I'm not used to falling onto dining room floors." Which, of course, wasn't the real reason for his being sore at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry was beginning to think that sleeping with Malfoy had been a very bad idea. Ron knew he had been with someone, but he didn't know who and it was better that way. Really, Ron didn't want to know who it was. Thinking about Harry and some dude was disturbing enough without accidently picturing them doing it, and if he knew who the other guy was, that image would be able to sneak into his head a lot easier.

Besides that, Ron was still being supportive of Harry being how he was and he even brought up a way that Harry could let him know he had 'company' over so he wouldn't walk in on them or something. All in all, it was pretty great. Harry actually thought about telling all the Weasleys about his being gay, but hadn't got the nerve up yet. He could just imagine Molly trying to hook him up with someone and thusly out him to the rest of the world, and Harry just wasn't quite ready for that one. He didn't know how wizarding society viewed these kinds of things and he didn't want to be outcasted or slapped onto the front page all over again. So, he kept things quiet, just between him, Ron … and Malfoy.

It was almost a week into 2002 when Harry got his first owl from Draco. It was a short message, wondering how he was doing and the like, and included an invitation to his flat for dinner that weekend. Harry politely declined. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of seeing Draco again, in private, made him very nervous. What if they slept together again? He had to admit the idea was appealing, and that seemed very wrong to him. He shouldn't be thinking about Draco Malfoy this way. It just didn't feel right.

After the third invitation was turned down, Draco was becoming increasingly annoyed. He, after all, was not contented to be Harry Potter's one night stand. He had tasted the forbidden fruit and he wanted more. Surely Harry felt the same, but with each rejection letter, Draco began to feel this whole affair was a bit one-sided. He resolved to find out for sure, and if it really was just a onetime thing then so be it, but if that was the case than he would be the one who deemed it so, not Harry. So, after making the necessary arrangements, he slipped into the Ministry a bit early for his appointment with the Minister to see Mr. Potter.

~0~

Because they were partners, Ron and Harry's desks faced each other. Ron's side was noticeably messier, not that Harry was a tidy man, but every morning Harry would have to push Ron's garbage back onto his own side. It was during this morning ritual that a silky and familiar voice called out a very polite 'hello' from behind him. The muscles in Harry's back froze for a moment before he managed to turn and face the man who had been plaguing his thoughts for the past week.

Draco looked wonderful as he had dressed up for the occasion. Before, Harry would have thought nothing of his attire, or how properly he held his figure … or the slight arch in Draco's left brow, or the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Actually, to be completely honest, Harry wouldn't have even noticed them before, but now, he couldn't help but notice every detail and nuance of the man before him. He was absolutely delectable.

Malfoy put on one of his cool and confident smiles, knowing full well that he was being glanced over. Unlike Harry, Draco was a man who relished the attention. "Why so surprised, Potter?"

"Well, I didn't expect to see you. Not at work anyway." Harry couldn't help but remember that the last time he saw Draco he was being shoved out a window and he prayed that Malfoy wasn't here for some sort of cruel revenge.

"I expect you might have to get used to it. If things go well for me this morning, you may be seeing a good deal more of me in the office."

"Why?" Harry couldn't hide the dread in his voice. He didn't want to see Malfoy at work. He didn't want to see Malfoy at all. Somehow, the fact that they had shared something so intimate together just made everything worse between them. It was as if all this were just some elaborate scheme to ruin his life and out him to the public. He didn't have any evidence that this was the case, but Malfoy had always been out to get him in the past and Harry couldn't get it out of his head that Malfoy may not have lost his vendetta against him.

Draco, of course, noticed the displeasure in Harry's voice and was none too pleased about it. "Why so concerned? You say that as if you don't wish to have me around … despite the fact that you didn't protest my company not so long ago."

"I don't want to talk about that. It was a onetime thing, Malfoy, and that's all it's ever going to be."

A darkness gradually overshadowed Draco's features as a glower replaced his cold mask of apathy and his silver eyes became piercing and dangerous. "And here I thought you were the kind of man to know that an exchange like that meant something." His gaze left Harry for only a moment to something behind him before his scowl faded and he resumed his icy mask, but his eyes never lost their intensity. "My mistake."

He walked away then, leaving Harry with a nagging sensation of guilt.

"Harry?"

He turned to find Ron standing there with two cups of coffee held by their handles in one hand, a stack of papers in the other, and a befuddled look on his face.

"What was that all about?" Slowly, he looked from Draco's retreating form to Harry, and though most things seemed to make it pass Ron without ever being noticed, he did have a knack for picking up on things of the greatest inconvenience to the people around him. "Don't tell me it was Malfoy."

All Harry could do at this point was sit in his chair and hide his face in the shelter of his hands.

"You're joking. _Malfoy?_ Of all the people … _Malfoy_."

"Please stop saying that."

"But how?" Ron sat down at his own chair, spilling some of the coffee onto his littered desk. "Why? Why _Malfoy_?"

But Ron's despairing whispers were drawing attention, and when Harry looked up to see a number of his colleges peering over to see what was going on. He got up and walked out. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately; walking away. He would never have walked away from a battle, or a fugitive. After all, Harry Potter was no coward, but even though he could stand and face the darkest wizard in history, he couldn't face himself. His personal demons were still too much for him to handle right now. After the war ended, he just wanted a quite, normal life. A wife and kids and a family, but he was getting in the way of his dreams and he didn't know which part of himself he wanted to side with. Why did life still have to be so complicated?

~0~

After work Harry went out for some drinks and came home pleasantly drunk only to find Ron, Ginny and Hermione all waiting for him. Ron was hoping to cheer him up with a nice evening out, but Harry wasn't feeling up to it. After a good deal of back and forth for a half an hour, it was decided that Hermione and Ron would go ahead and enjoy a nice dinner together while Ginny stayed behind with Harry.

The next morning, Harry woke up with a splitting headache and, all in all, felt like complete rubbish. After the amount of alcohol he'd poured down his gullet the night before, Harry was half surprised he'd managed to wake up at all. Groggily, he reached out a hand to find his missing pillow in hopes of smothering his face with it to block out the horrible morning light. Unfortunately, what he found was something very, very different.

Waking up next to Draco had been anything if not pleasant.

Waking up next to Ginny, however, was anything but.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything underlined is a direct quote from the epilogue at the end of Deathly Hollows.

Ginny was pregnant and Harry's life was over. That was his assessment anyway.

After Ginny told him about the baby, Harry proposed to her for the sake of his unborn child, and he and Ginny were married that summer. Much to the Weasleys' surprise, the "happy" couple received a large gift from Draco Malfoy wishing them 'Good Luck', much to Harry's chagrin. It was a beautiful silver baby carriage with very expensive looking emerald green bedding, but Ginny had to change the bedding to red before she deemed it good enough for her first son.

Ron wasn't happy about any of it. Harry was gay and not at all in love with Ginny and Ron knew it. He didn't want his best mate hurting his little sister, and he didn't want his little sister to kill his best mate's chances of ever finding someone he could really be happy with. He and Harry argued about it for days, but Harry's determination to be there for his son (unlike his own father had been) forced Ron to let it go.

As for Ginny, she still fancied Harry, but found it difficult to get along with him most of the time. She had broken it off with him originally because he just didn't seem that interested in her after the war ended. He behaved more like a brother than anything, and Ginny needed more than that. After all, she already had six brothers. What she needed was a lover. After the night they spent together, the baby, and the wedding, Ginny thought that things would work themselves out somehow once they got used to being a married couple. However, neither Harry nor Ginny were willing to admit that it wasn't what either of them really wanted.

Draco had had his meeting with the Minister after he stormed away from Mr. Potter that day at the Ministry, and proposed to Shacklebolt that he be made ambassador to the muggle French Prime Minister. After all, Draco spoke French, was good with politics, and could no doubt schmooze his way into good dealings with muggle France. At first, Kingsley thought he was joking, but was soon convinced that he was quite serious and after discussing the idea of branching out to other muggle governments, Kingsley and Malfoy agreed that, if Malfoy was willing to get the proper training, he could have the job. Needless to say his parents were thrilled and Lucius couldn't have been prouder.

For two years, Draco was off to University in France where he received his Associates Degree in Muggle History with a minor in World Politics. While he was there, he lived in his parent's Parisian Chateau and completely dove into the muggle world. He learned about their food, their wine, and their fashion. He acquainted himself with the cinema and the other forms of muggle entertainment as well as items of stature and wealth. On his return, Lucius threw his son an extravagant party where Draco met Astoria Greengrass for the first time in almost half a decade. They saw each other sparingly for a few months afterward, but nothing came of it until rumors of Draco having relationships with a number of Frenchmen drove him to marry.

The union was strictly business for Draco and he made sure his fiancé was well aware of that fact. Fortunately, Astoria was raised to recognize wealth and power, and being a decent pureblood, she had never really planned on marrying for love. She was perfectly contented with her future husband, despite the rumors, and looked forward to her impending lavish lifestyle. Her friends would be so jealous!

The wedding was beautiful and even made the front page of the Daily Prophet. This was not only due to the pure extravagancy of the thing, but the fact that both Ministers and Prime Ministers from England and France were there; not to mention a number of muggle and magical fellow ambassadors. In fact, it was more of a political than romantic affair, and anyone who was anyone was there. Even his old friends from school who had ceased associating with him due to his families lack or overabundance of loyalty to the Dark Lord rekindled their interests in Draco's companionship. All in all, it was a grand occasion.

Naturally the Potters were invited as well, but Harry staunchly refused.

By the time of Draco's wedding, Ginny was expecting Harry's second child, and though things had been a bit rough at first, Harry loved being a father and living with Ginny wasn't all that bad most of the time.

A few months after little Albus was born, Hermione gave birth to Ron's little girl, Rosie, and not long after that, Draco had his first son.

~0~

Again, time passed them, and it was time for Albus, Rose and Scorpius to start their first year at Hogwarts together. It was an especially foggy day at the King's Cross Station, and Harry had to keep a steady eye out for Ron and Hermione and their kids. Finally, the two families met and chatted happily with their children about what awaited them at Hogwarts. However, Ron sighted something off in the haze of the morning and gestured secretly with a nod of his head for Harry to take a look.

"Look who it is."

And there he was, with his beautiful wife and only child; as tall and handsome as ever. Gradually, his form eased through the mist as though a path had been drawn between them. Feeling eyes upon him, Draco looked over to see both the Potter and the Weasley families watching him.

Harry looked wonderful. Being a father really suited him, and in the second that his silver eyes met Harry's, something powerful pulled between them; something they had forgotten about years ago.

It was the same force that had brought them together during Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley. The same force that made them constantly on edge around each other during their school years, and it was the same force that finally brought them together once on New Years Eve. But that force was not the only thing around them, and as Astoria gently pulled on her husband's arm, all Draco could do was curtly nod in Harry's direction and walk away.

Ron eyed Harry being the only other person in the group to know about Harry and Draco's past relationship and recognize the pull between them. So, he thought, Harry still fancied him after all. However, Ron was not a cruel man, and he sought to keep the attention away from Harry's far off look for a while.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half-stern, half-amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "don't get _too_ friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."

James interrupted them then with news about Teddy and Victoire snogging, which wasn't much of a surprise to the adults, but Ron wasn't really paying attention. His eyes were on Harry who still seemed a bit distracted by Draco's sudden appearance. Fortunately for Harry, no one else seemed to notice, and he managed to keep up with the conversation at hand.

~0~

Watching Albus vanish into the distance was more difficult that Harry had expected. James had been so confident and exited to go that Harry didn't feel he needed to worry about him. Albus, on the other hand, was a shy boy, and with his concerns on the platform this morning, Harry couldn't help but wonder how things were going with him at the castle. Of course, Albus wasn't the only thing on Harry's mind.

The two families had gotten together for dinner while Teddy watched Lilly and Hugo fly around the backyard on their toy broomsticks. Inside, the wives were busy chatting away while Harry was mentally somewhere else and Ron was too busy studying Harry to participate in the womanly gossip, that is, until something captured both of their attentions.

"So did you hear about Malfoy?"

"Draco's father?"

"No, Draco."

"No, what about him?"

"Well, according to Witch's Weekly, there's rumor of a divorce in the works."

It was then that Harry suddenly chimed in. "Divorce? Did they say why?"

Ginny laughed. "I didn't think you followed gossip."

"Awe common Gin, what did they say?"

"Well, the article said that Astoria may have had an affair, she's his wife you know, and she might even be pregnant with her lover's baby."

"Poor Draco."

"Poor Darco?" Ron looked at Hermione as if she just sprouted daisies out of her ears. "Poor wife, I say."

Harry looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you say that?"

"Well," Ron faltered for a moment before looking Harry straight in the eyes. "being married to someone like Draco couldn't have made her very happy. I doubt he ever showed much interest in his wife. Did you know she stayed behind when he went to France for months at a time? His son would go with him, but she never did."

"You don't say." Ginny was impressed that her brother suddenly became so informative.

Hermione looked far more disapproving. "And how did you come by this information?"

"I make sure to keep tabs on our old friend." Again, Ron's eyes fell on Harry. "I like to know what he's doing."

Hermione just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Will you never get over your school days? People change you know."

"Alright, alright. Let's forget about it then and have some of Ginny's apple pie."

Harry jumped up at the opportunity. "Sounds good to me. Come on Ron, well start serving." The girls gave him a funny look, but Ron followed him obediently.

Once they got into the kitchen, Harry cornered him and the apple pie. "What's with you?"

Ron held up the pie cutter as a defensive weapon. "What's up with _you_? Don't think I didn't see that look you and Malfoy shared at the train station this morning. I may not be an Auror anymore, but I can still tell when something smells rotten, and this stinks, Harry."

Harry glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. "You need to learn how to mind your own business."

"And you need to wake up. I'm sick and tired of pretending that everything's just fine around here when I know damn well that it isn't. I've had it. You don't love Ginny anymore than she loves you and it's time you both admitted it. You two don't even spend time together anymore. Hell, she spends more time with Mum and Hermione than she does with you. How long do you think it's gonna be before she runs into some fellow that turns her head, someone who can give her what she really needs?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it won't be long before one of you does something you'll regret. You should get a divorce while you and Ginny are still friends." He looked back toward the pie and started cutting it into large pieces. Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and thought about what Ron was saying, but some motion to his right made him look over to see Gin, Hermione and the kids standing dumfounded in the doorway. Ron, however, didn't notice. "And even though I don't like him, Malfoy's gonna be single soon and I think you should go for it."

Ron had just exposed him in front of his second-best friend, his wife, his godson and his daughter. Harry was furious, and before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed Ron by the arm with his left hand and hit him as hard as he could with his right. Ron fell backwards, stunned, and as he fell he reached out for something to grip, all he wound up with a fist full of hot apple pie.

Hermione rushed over to help her husband along with a very confused Ginny.

"Harry, what is wrong with you?"

"Ron, are you ok?" Hermione was worriedly looking over Ron's bloody nose, but Ron was more concerned about his hand.

"My hand, my hand! The pie's still hot!"

"Oh!" She quickly took off her sweater and started rubbing of hot pie filling from her husband's hand leaving it sticky from the sugary goodness and pink from the heat.

Harry just stood there like an idiot and once again found himself in a situation he didn't want to be in. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. I didn't know they were there." Ron stood up, turned on the faucet and rinsed off the remaining filling from his hand.

Hermione didn't think everything was fine, but didn't want to make a big deal of things in front of the kids. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's my fault, I didn't see you guys." He and Hermione glanced at Harry and Gin in a knowing way, then back at each other.

Hermione nodded. "Alright then. Well, I guess since the pie's ruined, we should get some ice-cream or something?" She looked over at Hugo and Lilly still standing with Teddy in the doorway to the kitchen. "Should we take Lilly with us? Maybe she could spend the night?"

Ginny smiled unsurely at her little girl. "Would you like that?" Slowly, Lilly nodded.

So, everyone except Harry and Ginny waited for Lilly to pack some things and then headed out for some ice-cream and games to distract from what had happened. While they were gone, Harry and his wife cleaned up the mess left over from the spilt pie filling.

After a long and uncomfortable silence, Ginny got the courage up to say something.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I heard what Ron said, don't you?"

"… Yeah."

"… Harry. … I think he's right."


	8. Chapter 8

It was decided that the divorce should wait until after the children came home from school that summer. Harry and Ginny wanted to talk about it out with them before they made any final decisions.

Scorpius' parents, however, were not as thoughtful to wait and discuss these things out with him, and by the second week of school, Draco's messy divorce hit front page on all the newspapers and gossip magazines in England. Apparently, the early reports had been correct, and Astoria was indeed pregnant with her lover's child. This did not upset Draco, nor did it surprise him. In fact, Draco was quite pleased with the situation he now found himself in. According to their prenuptial agreement, in the event of his wife's unfaithfulness, the union would be terminated and she would get nothing. No alimony, no settlement, nothing, and this pleased Draco greatly.

Both he and his wife had had numerous affairs over the years, but fortunately for Draco, Astoria couldn't prove that he had been unfaithful in court which would have given her the alimony she so desperately desired. Unfortunately, this dramatic fall from grace on his wife's part made her a dangerous and bitter woman. Therefore, in hopes of a large sum for child support, Astoria pushed for full custody of their son. To rebut this, Draco quit his job as ambassador (he had done such a good job, no Minister was willing to get rid of him) to remain at home and supply a more stable environment for Scorpius to grow up in. He also offered proof that Astoria had never been a very loving mother and that he had always been the primary caregiver.

When it became clear that the courts were leaning in Malfoy's favor, Astoria resorted to blackmail instead. When Draco refused to pay up, Astoria made an appointment with the notorious Rita Skeeter and revealed to her Draco's darkest secret, and by the next morning, Draco Malfoy's sexual orientation was smeared all over the front page of the Daily Prophet. Lucius was furious and immediately began preparations to clear his son's good name, but having anticipated this, Draco appeared at the manor in time to stop him.

The conversation that followed was a long and painful one. It took three hours before his father was willing to accept the fact that his son was indeed gay, and two more hours to calm him down.

"My own son!"

"Father, please, this tantrum is really uncalled for."

"When were you planning on telling your parents about this? We could have prepared, we could have covered it up!"

"I don't want it covered up anymore."

"What?"

"I'm tired of pretending and I think it's about time that I own up to what I really am."

"Do you have any idea what you're saying? You'll shame the family!"

"Why? I've done my duty as a man, I had a son. I've earned the right to -"

"What about your son, have you given any thought to him?" Lucius paced up and down the room in a fury. Draco, on the other hand, stood firmly in the center, hands behind his back, acting as calmly and rationally as possible.

"Of course I have. Astoria was never there for him anyways. Taking her away should make little difference."

"That's not what I meant." Lucius stopped his pacing and glared down his nose at his son. "Having a – a delinquent for a father could ruin him socially. I won't allow it."

"Won't allow it?" Up to now, Draco had remained surprisingly civil, but that last beratement was the last straw, and his temper blew in true Malfoyish glory. "How dare you! How dare you accuse me of endangering the future of my son! It's not as though I had a choice in this. Do you think I _wanted_ to be this way? And you! You think you can lecture me after you nearly got us all sent to Azkaban? Or killed? You chose that path, I didn't choose mine, so don't tell me that you won't allow me to live my own life however I see fit. At least I'd be living it honestly which is more than I can say for you!" He turned away then, and stormed out of the room leaving his father, mouth agape and eyes wide, completely stunned.

"Well, he certainly made his point." Lucius turned to his wife standing in the opposing doorway. She smiled at his dumfounded expression, walked over, and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. "He's right, you know."

"Narcissa, don't. You can't caudle him over everything."

"I'm not caudling. Darling, he's right. He's had a son to carry on the family name, so why shouldn't he be allowed to be happy?"

"Because, it – it's depraved."

"You're one to talk."

"But, darling -"

"No, Lucius."

"I won't -"

"Lucius." And she stared fiercely up at him with her beautiful eyes, sending a dark warning through the air between them. "If you love me, if you ever loved me, you will accept the truth about our son and love him as before." Then her burning gaze faded and she smiled and sweetly adjusted her husband's collar. "Besides, if you don't, Ms. Skeeter might find out about that nice ginger-haired lad you fancied so much before you started courting me."

The pallor of her husband's face was enough for her to know that she had won, but the defeated nod on his part was a nice assurance none the less.

~0~

When summer came, Ginny and Harry sat their children down and told them of their plans to separate. It was a difficult few days after that, but Harry and Ginny's positive attitude helped them through it. There was no fighting, no bad feelings – in fact, Hermione found a neighborhood nearby where two houses were for sale right next to each other, and after talking it over with Gin, Harry sold their home and snatched up the pair.

Once the kids realized that, though divorced, their parents would be living right next to each other, things went much smoother. Teddy was offered the job of watching the kids while the parents were working (Ginny didn't want to depend on Harry for money) in exchange for moving in and a small salary to which he agreed, and the rooms of the two houses were divided up to two kids per house, each with their own room. Ted and James happily lived together in Gin's house, and Albus and Lilly lived with Harry, though it didn't really make much of a difference who lived where because everyone was constantly running back and forth between houses and the family ate dinner together every night anyways.

In an attempt to start pulling in some money of her own, Ginny tried out for her old team, the Holyhead Harpies that summer, and was very excited to report to her family about her being accepted. Everything seemed to be working out just fine. The divorce was accepted by the Weasleys with little difficulty (though Molly was a bit disappointed) and Harry finally came out to them much to their surprise. And, Harry was right. As soon as Molly found out about his preferring men, she started supplying him lists of nice young gay men that she'd read or heard about somewhere. Amusingly enough to Harry, she never mentioned Draco who's face and new reputation had been spotlighted on magazines and newspapers for the past month. In fact, Draco had recently been voted the most eligible gay bachelor in Europe for the July edition of Fabulous, a popular gay magazine.

By August, life had settled around Harry nicely, and he began to think that perhaps he was ready to come out to the rest of the world and start a serious relationship with someone, and the more he thought about it, the more Draco Malfoy came to mind. But how was Harry supposed to approach him? They didn't exactly split up on pleasant terms, but luckily, the answer came to him on August 2nd around dinner time when an invitation shaped like a bunny hopped out of Harry's fireplace to Albus' feet. The now 12 year old Slytherin boy picked up the paper bunny curiously and watched it unfold to reveal the writing within.

After a moment, he held out the paper to his father excitedly. "Can we go?"

Harry took the parchment and read the invitation to Scorpius Malfoy's 12th Birthday party, which invited not only the young boy, but his immediate family as well. He smiled to himself as his plan of attack began to form in his mind, and he handed the letter back to his son with a sly grin.

"Of course we can."


	9. Chapter 9

August 14th, the day of young Master Malfoy's birthday party, came far faster than Harry anticipated. He bought a new suit, shined his shoes, thought about combing his hair and laughed, and made sure his teeth were pearly white. Honestly, Harry was more excited about the party than Albus was.

Scorpius and Albus had become quite close during their first year together at Hogwarts. Originally, Scorpius was only interested in Al because he was the son of Harry Potter of whom he was a huge fan, but with his parent's divorce and his father's coming out, school life was difficult, and Scorpius became dependent on his good friend for emotional support. By summer, Scor and Al had become the best of friends and wrote often. Albus told Scorpius about his parents' divorce which Draco got to hear about immediately. He wondered if his own separation had perhaps spurred Harry's on, but quickly dismissed the idea as hopeful fancy.

For most of the day, Draco had sent his son off with Astoria, partially for some quality time with his mother on his birthday, but mostly because Draco needed time to put together Scor's birthday present. He was having a quidditch field put up over the hedge maze in the back yard to go with his son's new broom. An invisible cushion of his own invention was at the moment being blanketed over the tall shrubs to keep the topiaries and the players safe from getting hurt, and as Draco leaned on the railing of his master balcony to check on the construction, he couldn't help but smile at the six towering hoops rising from the green labyrinth below. Scorpius was going to be thrilled.

After he felt satisfied with how things were going, Draco descended the marble steps to the main hall where the party would be held and spotted his mother overseeing the decorations. His father on the other hand, not at all concerned where what bobble went where, sat in one of Draco's plush chairs and napped peacefully. Draco's parents, who were both in their sixties now, had aged suspiciously well over the years (Draco was pretty sure they were using potions to accomplish this), but Lucius had decided to allow time to fade his already platinum locks to the purist white. It was a rather nice look, and Draco hopped his hair would do the same when he reached that age. Draco's hair line had receded slightly from his old school days, but only slightly. It gave him more of a masculine look to his angular face and he thought it made him look rather dashing. He kept a close eye on it though to make sure it didn't continue to move northward, but all in all, he proved to be a very handsome man.

Back at the Potter's, Harry took some time out of his preparations to help Ginny around her house. She had been injured just before the Harpies made it to the finals, forcing her to realize she was a bit too old to play professionally. She was grateful when she got the job as Quidditch Correspondent for the Daily Prophet, but she would still miss being a part of the game.

Harry took a moment to look up from his dishes to look out the window at his children and his godson, Teddy, roughhousing in the front yard. Harry didn't look much different from his younger years, no graying of the temples yet, but somehow his years as a parent made him look older, wiser, and it suited his wonderfully. He didn't notice Ginny carefully walk up behind him, nursing her injured leg. She rested an arm over his shoulder and he jumped in surprise. Ginny only laughed.

"What are you thinking about Mr. Potter?"

He smiled one of his innocent crooked smiles and put a wet and soapy arm around her waist. "Oh nothing, just watching the kids."

She ignored the moisture soaking threw her jumper and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "Our kids. You know, I don't think we could have done a better job."

"They are pretty awesome." He rested his head on hers and sighed contently. Even though they were divorced, they were still extremely close, and it was nice not to have his sexuality hang over them like a black cloud anymore. Everything was peaceful and happy, just the way Harry always wanted life to be.

"How do you think they'll feel about you getting it on with Malfoy?"

Harry suddenly woke up from his reverie. "What?"

"Malfoy, you are going to the party to hit on him, aren't you?"

Harry couldn't help but pull away awkwardly and blush ever so slightly. "No."

Ginny raised a brow and gave him one of her 'I totally know that you're lying' looks.

"Alright, yes."

"Good. I think you two would be adorable together."

"Do you have any idea how weird it is to hear you say that?" but Ginny only waved him off.

Later that afternoon, Harry mentally reviewed his master plan, which really wasn't much of a plan at all.

Part 1) Find Draco.

Part 2) Convince him to couple up.

Part 3) Victory.

What could go wrong?

~0~

At the party, it seemed near impossible to get Draco somewhere alone. Truly, a Malfoy's greatest talent was hobnobbing, and Draco was the best of them. He flittered around the party like the social butterfly he was, never pausing or staying in one conversation too long. With true expertise, he managed to meet, speak with, and impress every guest on the list within the first thirty minutes. Every guest, that is, except Harry Potter, whom he seemed to avoid like the plague. Scorpius, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of him.

"Did you really save my dad from a fire in the Battle at Hogwarts?"

"Yup."

"And was it really ten miles tall and shaped like giant animals?"

"Well, I don't know about ten miles, -"

"And is it true that my dad saved your life when your face exploded?"

"- but they were shaped like, wait, what?"

"When you were captured and your face had exploded." And he held out his hands around his head and puffed out his cheeks to demonstrate a large, swollen face.

"Oh! Sure, I guess so, but my face didn't… _explode_." Harry never would have guessed that Draco was telling his son such tall tales about their involvement in the war, but seeing the excitement in Scor's eyes every time he look up at his evident hero, Harry couldn't help but wonder about how Draco really saw him. He looked around the room again, searching through the crowd for his pray, but to no avail. "Hey, Scorpius, I hate to ask you this on your birthday, but could you do me a favor?"

"Anything you need, Mr. Potter. I'm your man."

Albus laughed, not being able to understand how cool it was to help out Harry Potter, and Harry couldn't help but grin at the lad's enthusiasm.

"Great. I need to find your father. Could you help me out with that?"

"Oh, that's easy." He beamed at the simplicity of the task. "Darling!"

At once, the little house elf appeared before them and bowed reverently. "Yes, young master?"

Scorpius stood taller, showing off to his hero and his friend that he had an elf at his beck and call, and Harry couldn't help but see the Draco in him shinning through."I need you to escort us to my father, immediately."

The house-elf bowed loser. "Of course, sir. Right this way."

They followed him through the crowd, and after a few moments, Draco's slender form came into view. Malfoy caught sight of Darling leading his son towards him and smiled, that is, until he saw Harry trailing along behind him. He contemplated making a break for it, but he could never walk away from his own son. So he stood there, trapped, and waited for what was to come.

Once they reached their destination, Scorpius dismissed Darling with a 'That will be all' and Darling bowed once more and disappeared. Scorpius smiled at his father, proud for bringing him the great Harry Potter. Draco sweetly smiled back.

"And what have you brought me?"

"Father, you know perfectly well who he is." He tried to sound pompous and annoyed, but the smile never left his face. Draco slowly looked up to meet Harry's eyes, taking in the full splendor of him in gentlemen's attire.

"Indeed I do." He slowly sipped his drink, not daring to be the first to break eye contact. The last time they saw each other was almost a year ago at the King's Cross, and the same energy that seemed to pull them towards each other then, pulled again as before. The faintest of smiles graced Draco's pale lips and glimmered in his intoxicating eyes. "Hello, Harry."

The pull between them forced Harry to take a step closer. He wanted to close the distance completely and crush those lips with his own, but remembering that their children were standing by watching them, he somehow managed to refrain. "Hello, Draco."


	10. Chapter 10

A few moments of silence passed between them while they stared unmoving at each other. The tension alone was enough to draw the gazes of people nearby, and Albus, having already figured out his father's intentions, broke into the moment and excused himself, pulling Scorpius along with him. Harry would have to remember to reward him for that later.

"Can we talk somewhere privately?"

Draco finally broke eye contact and looked down at his glass. "If we must." He started walking away before even finishing his statement and Harry had to hastily push through the crowd to follow him. Together, they passed through a set of heavy curtains screening the birthday boy's presents from prying eyes. It was dark, but Harry could still make out the impressive hoard of gifts.

"What it must be like to be a Malfoy."

Draco turned, raising an eyebrow at the comment. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know anybody who ever got so many gifts in the same day."

"We do have our perks, I suppose." He leaned against a fainting couch that was trapped in the room with them. "What is it you wished to discuss?"

Harry nervously shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down and his dapper shoes. "I suppose you heard about me and Ginny splitting up."

"Yes I did. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It wasn't a loss." Harry looked up at Draco's somewhat surprised expression and boldly moved in a few steps closer. "We both thought it would be for the best." He took another step in. "I told the Weasleys I was gay, they know all about it now."

" _All_ about it?"

"Well, I didn't tell them about us, but Ron figured it out that day you visited me at the Ministry."

"I see. And he was accepting of the fact that you and I had slept together?"

"Not at first, no, but it was Ron who encouraged me to come out and divorce Ginny. He was even the one who told me to mend things up between you and me."

"Really? … I wouldn't have expected that from the Weasel Bee."

"Draco."

He sighed. "From Weasley."

"No, I mean… thank you, but I wasn't correcting… Draco, I want to date you."

For a moment, all Draco could do was blink, then he raised a hand to muffle his quiet laughter. "Really, Harry, you can be so eloquent at times. What a charmer." And he continued to suppress his chuckling while Harry blushed brightly in spite of himself. This wasn't going nearly so well as Harry had hoped, but there was still one thing he hadn't tried yet that he knew he could do well, so Harry briskly closed the remaining distance, looped an arm around Draco's waist, and pulled him into a kiss. It only took Draco a few seconds to get over his surprise and melt completely into him, releasing a sigh of contentment before forcing himself to pull back.

"No."

Harry's expression must have been dismal, but Draco wasn't looking at him to see. "What?"

"No, Harry." And he pushed away. "You had your chance with me, and you ended it." He took a few steps away and turned his back to him, playing absent mindedly with his glass. "I never look back, not for anything."

"Are you saying that, after all this time, you're still angry about me pushing you out that window?"

"No. Yes, but this isn't about that. I tried to keep things up with you. I sent you owl after owl trying to show you how I felt…" Draco stammered over his words as he realized he was revealing too much. "You ended this a long time ago, and I will not come running back to you whenever you feel like it."

"I didn't know you had any feelings for me. I thought it was just … a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"It was. You were just another shag. Now, if you don't mind -"

"I thought you said I was your first."

"I lied so you would feel more comfortable. After all, it was your first time, wasn't it? Merlin forbid you feel embarrassed about still being a virgin. It might have affected your performance in bed."

By now, Harry was starting to get angry. He knew damn well that night had been Draco's first, at least his first time with a man. He didn't seem the type to top, and he defiantly hadn't been worn in. Then it hit him. Draco's ring, that silver band that could tell no lies still clung to Draco's wedding finger. It was the only way to be sure. He couldn't know how Draco really felt as long as he was determined to hide it and he would never be able to move on without wondering if he had screwed up his last chance with him. So, with all the speed he could muster, Harry shot forward and seized Draco by the arm and grabbed for his hand. For a moment, Draco thought Harry was moving forward to strike him, and raised his other arm to cover his face, splashing champagne all over Harry in the process, but Harry didn't care. He got what he lunged for, and with a smile, put the ring on his finger triumphantly.

"Now, you say that again." Blood drained from Draco's already pale features as he eyed the ring on Harry's uplifted hand.

"No." He tried to pull away, but Harry kept a firm hold on his arm. "Release me."

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"I will not allow you to use my property against me." He tried again to get free of Harry's grip, but Harry just held on tighter. They struggled in the darkness until Harry lost his patience and managed to pin Draco down on the fainting couch, crushing a broom shaped package below them.

"Say it."

"Why should I? What makes you think you deserve anything from me? I could have you arrested for assault."

"You forget, I'm Head Auror."

Draco smiled unpleasantly. "So, even the great Harry Potter can be corrupted. I wouldn't have thought it possible. Then again, today's been just full of surprises."

Harry couldn't help but feel guilty about handling him so roughly, but why did Draco have to be so bloody stubborn? He released his grip on Draco's forearms and stood up.

"I apologize."

Draco shifted and leaned against the arm of the sofa lounging comfortably, knowing that he had the upper hand now. "It's about damn time. Darling?"

The house-elf popped up obediently. "Yes, sir?"

"I've dropped my drink. Clean it up and get me another one, won't you."

"Yes, sir."

They stared at each other in silence while the Darling went about his work. Once Draco had his fresh glass in hand and the rug was cleaned, Darling disappeared.

"You couldn't have asked him to clean me up too? Most of the mess ended up on me."

"Pity." He sipped his drink.

Harry rubbed his head and sighed. "Look, I know I screwed up, but that was a long time ago."

"Yes it was." For a long time, Draco said nothing, but looked down at his glass in contemplation. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but there was no way he could be sure if he was being answered honestly. "I feel a bit naked without my ring."

"You shouldn't be so dependent on it."

"You say that purely out of ignorance. You might be surprised how often one gets lied to, even for the most innocent of reasons."

"Maybe, but I'm not the one trying to cover up how I feel."

"And how do you feel?"

Harry ran his hands through his hair and tried very hard to think of something worthwhile to say.

"I missed you. I was stupid and… scared. I wasn't ready to… face what I was, let alone let the world in on it, and being with you would have meant that I had to. I hid from you so I could hide from myself." He walked over and sat on the other end of the fainting couch, and Draco moved his legs politely to allow him to do so.

"So you ran to Ginevra to hide from me?"

Harry couldn't even look at him. "… Yeah."

"My, I didn't realize I was so frightening." Draco tried to maintain his usual tone of sarcasm, but his mind was too preoccupied.

Harry noticed the lack of venom in Draco's words and chanced to move in just a bit closer. "Your turn."

Draco looked back up from his reverie. "Pardon?"

A crooked smile played on Harry's lips. "It's your turn."

And for the first time since the war, Harry caught a glimpse of Draco in a moment of weakness. Draco averted his gaze as he looked around for inspiration on how to handle the situation. "It isn't the Malfoy way to be so candid with people." Then his shifting gaze landed on his ring on Potter's hand. "So, I suppose I'll just say this. I never missed you, and I never thought about you, especially not when I was with someone or on nights when I was lonely. I never lay awake while my wife was off screwing someone else wondering how different my life could have been if you'd accepted my hand that first day on the train. And I didn't start falling in love with you when you saved me from the fire."

Harry's finger ached a bit from the massive vibrations emanating from the ring and he held it firmly with his other hand to ease the pain.

"That covers pretty much everything." Draco drained the champagne from his glass in an attempt to calm the frightened fluttering of his heart, but if this was really what he wanted, then it was about time he was straight forward about it.

"Draco." He moved forward again, hips sliding alongside Draco's. He cautiously reached out and took the glass from him and held it like a precious artifact that should be treasured. "I'm not very good with words, like you are, but… here." He cupped his hands around the glass, closing his eyes in concentration, and Draco watched as it melted into a pool of radiant red until it rolled up at the edges to form a delicate glass apple. Harry held it out almost meekly. "I don't know who I'll end up spending the rest of my life with, but I think I know who I'd like it to be."

Draco sat up to cautiously take the apple, afraid that he might break it if he held it too tightly. "Why, Mr. Potter, you really can be charming." The apple seemed to glow with a faint light of its own that even Harry couldn't explain, and little reflections of glimmering red luminescence danced lightly around the room. "It's lovely."

In the many years he had known him, Harry had seen Draco smile many times. Mostly they were discreet, or broad and smug, but this, this smile was different. It wasn't too wide or too well hidden, and it wasn't just part of an outward mask like all the other smiles Draco wore. This smile was truthful and pure, and Harry knew then, that he would happily spend the rest of his life trying to make the man before him smile like that just once more.

"Yes it is."

Draco looked up to see Harry's gaze resting heavily on him, and he silently thanked the red glow for masking the blush that he was sure he had. "Harry, can you promise me that you won't change your mind about this? That this isn't you just testing the water before you run away again?"

"Yes, I can." He leaned in, resting their foreheads together. He wrapped his hands around Draco's which still gently cradled the glowing apple. The light reflected onto the ring Harry still wore. He removed it, and slid it slowly onto Draco's wedding finger. "Because I don't love you either."

The trembling of the ring against the glass rang a beautiful tone and Harry shifted, lips almost touching, and breathed in the smell of him. He'd forgotten how good he smelled. Then he kissed him lightly, slowly and sweetly. He'd forgotten how good he tasted as well.

Draco returned the kiss with fervor, massaging Harry's lips open to accept his tongue. Harry eagerly accepted and returned the favor with zeal. Porcelain hands seized handfuls of ebony locks as Draco pushed his body forward while pulling Harry down to increase the pressure and friction his body so deeply craved.

~0~

They didn't know how long they stayed in the darkened, blocked off corner of the room while the festivities continued without them, but they didn't care. Right now, the only things that existed in the world were the two of them and the piece of furniture they were pressed against. In the distance, however, and closing in, a familiar voice was approaching them.

Just outside the draped curtains, the disembodied voice of Narcissa Malfoy was saying something about someone's presents and Draco's subconscious screamed at him to wake up from his beautiful dream, but by the time Draco realized what was about to happen, it was too late.

Harry didn't even have time to register why Draco suddenly pulled back, for all at once, the room was drowned in color and light as the curtains were lifted to showcase Scorpius' mountain of gifts. Strangely, though, he and the entirety of the crowed of people around him were far too distracted by the tangle of limbs on the delicate sofa. Swifter than eagles, Draco threw Harry off of him and scrambled to his feet in as graceful a manner as he could muster. He kept his back to the crowed as he drew his wand, cast a quick calming spell on himself and Harry who subsequently jumped from surprise and covered himself protectively.

Draco spun around on his heel and smiled gaily at the crowd. "Well, well! Time for presents is it?" He hastily placed his precious apple on the sofa, and grabbed the nearest gift which happened to be the crumpled broom package. Fortunately for Draco, that particular gift was from him, so no one would be offended by his having ruined it… or his method of ruining it for that matter. "Here you are son. Happy Birthday!"

Scorpius was not so easily distracted. "Is Harry Potter going to be my new mom?" At least the boy seemed really excited about the whole ordeal. Narcissa, on the other hand, looked mortified, and Lucius looked like he was on the verge of throwing everybody out so he could have a stern talk with his son.

"Well, son … I …" Honestly, Draco didn't know how to respond. He looked back at Harry who had just gotten back on his feet. Harry only smiled as he walked up to stand beside him and draped an arm around his hips.

"No, but I wouldn't mind being your new dad. Draco can be you mother now." Scorpius and Albus burst out into young man giggles at the idea of Draco being a mom, but Draco was not impressed by Harry's attempt at wit.

"Arm. Off. Now."

"It was just a joke." But if Harry thought that a blissful snog was enough for him to claim the right to call Draco a woman, he had another thing coming, and Draco's glare just got sharper and deeper the longer Harry dared to defy him until he backed down and did as he was told.

"Alright. Jeez, you can be really scary sometimes, you know that?" Draco's face brightened immediately as he spared a glance at his mother with a tiny smile.

"I know."

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Scorpius opened the remainder of his gifts, and all the children were overjoyed to discover the quidditch field in the back yard. Draco finally had Darling clean the champagne off of Harry (and himself), and Lucius spent the rest of the evening looking pained and getting several warning glances from his wife.

~0~

After the party was over and Albus and Scorpius (who was spending the night) were deposited with Ginny at home, Harry returned to the Manor to have a nice long "talk" with the man he loved.

Naturally, word of the birthday debacle was in all the papers the next morning, but Harry couldn't care less and he tossed the Daily Prophet off the side of the bed where Draco was still peacefully sleeping. It amazed him how such a graceful person could sleep so, well, like Draco. The blankets were a mess with pale limbs sticking out in every direction, and Harry couldn't drink enough of it in.

After a few more moments, however, Harry got a hankering for something slightly more physical, and stealthy crawled over to his lover's side of the bed. He grinned as he nuzzled his nose into the warm covering until he could lightly kiss the back of Draco's exposed neck.

"Good morning."

 


End file.
